Virtually ubiquitous in Canadian film, actor-director-screenwriter Don McKellar has established recurring creative partnerships with famed fellow countrymen Francois Girard, Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald and David Cronenberg. McKellar first gained notice on the big screen with "Roadkill," McDonald's 1989 rowdy road comedy about a woman on the trail of a missing rock band. In addition to writing the dryly humorous screenplay, McKellar played Russel, a thoughtful serial killer who sees crime as a valid career option. He teamed up with McDonald frequently, also penning and appearing in the director's acclaimed "Highway 61" (1992), writing the screenplay of the gemlike drama "Dance Me Outside" (1994) and starring in the short "Elimination Dance" (1998), based on the writings of Michael Ondaatje. McDonald also served as director of McKellar's CBC series "Twitch City" (1998-2000), an understated comedy chronicling a man (McKellar) living just above the poverty level in Toronto's Kensington Market, who rarely leaves his apartment and lives through television. Dourly comical with a realistic edge (including characters whose clothing and belongings had the uncommon flavor of authentic underprivilege), the...

Virtually ubiquitous in Canadian film, actor-director-screenwriter Don McKellar has established recurring creative partnerships with famed fellow countrymen Francois Girard, Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald and David Cronenberg. McKellar first gained notice on the big screen with "Roadkill," McDonald's 1989 rowdy road comedy about a woman on the trail of a missing rock band. In addition to writing the dryly humorous screenplay, McKellar played Russel, a thoughtful serial killer who sees crime as a valid career option. He teamed up with McDonald frequently, also penning and appearing in the director's acclaimed "Highway 61" (1992), writing the screenplay of the gemlike drama "Dance Me Outside" (1994) and starring in the short "Elimination Dance" (1998), based on the writings of Michael Ondaatje. McDonald also served as director of McKellar's CBC series "Twitch City" (1998-2000), an understated comedy chronicling a man (McKellar) living just above the poverty level in Toronto's Kensington Market, who rarely leaves his apartment and lives through television. Dourly comical with a realistic edge (including characters whose clothing and belongings had the uncommon flavor of authentic underprivilege), the series won many fans, and scored an order for a second set of episodes in 1999. Additional small screen appearances by McKellar include a guest shot as a bike messenger on the popular CBC sketch comedy series "The Kids In the Hall" and co-starring roles in two Showtime telefilms: 1997's adaptation of Rod Serling's riveting holocaust drama "In the Presence of Mine Enemies" and 1999's biopic "The Passion of Ayn Rand."

Education

University of Toronto:
Toronto , Ontario -

University of Toronto:
Toronto , Ontario -

Notes

McKellar on how 1998's "Armageddon" complements his own end of the world film: "I always thought a film like that, in those disaster films, the thing that always interested me were the people who were wiped out off-screen. Oh you saved L.A.--big triumph there. What about Alberta, that was wiped out?" --quoted in CALGARY SUN, October 22, 1998

"Writing, directing and starring in your own film, though, does open up the possibility of film-maker's megalomania. 'It's something I'm conscious of,' McKellar admits. 'I was trying not to make my own part too cool. But I can assure you I have a very healthy amount of self-loathing and it will be a while before that's completely disappeared." --From the London TIMES, July 1, 1999